Complicated
by MissEccentricWriter
Summary: 100 Theme Challenge #2   Its all too complicated for her. Its keeps her awake, taunting her.But she is consoled by an unlikely friend and she regains hope to keep strong another day.


_**Author's Notes**_: _Just something for a 100 Theme Challenge. Its really that good, I revised it a couple of times, but this was what came out. I was gonna do my best to keep it as BEFORE Gregor wakes up and sees them, but...It sorta got carried away, and I tried to fix it at the end. Ah, well XD_

She sat there for what seemed like ages. Staring at the long piece of parchment in her hands that was also on and around her lap. It was like tape, rolled up neatly for you to use, but also hard to manage.

The others around her were asleep in their respective areas, except she. It was late in the night, or what she presumed to be night, or just bedtime all together.

She could hear the soft snores of her baby sister and older brother. She would be in bed too, but this stupid code kept her awake. Everyone was set that she was this prophesied 'Code-Breaker', that she would break this code and be able to read these secret messages. She had tried to tell them she wasn't, that she would try and help even though she wasn't it, but no one seemed to care. They believed she was the 'Code-Breaker'.

she glared at the paper, it was all it's fault she was in this predicament. She felt the familiar sensation of her heart start to race; what if she couldn't crack the code and everyone died because her? What if she failed?

Her breaths became shallow and short. She was going to fail. She just knew it! She couldn't handle this. It was all too much. All to COMPLICATED. Her brother almost dieing, her mother sick, her father sick and she was here, stuck in another world trying to figure out a code. Tears spilled from her eyes, burning and stinging her cheeks.

Why her? Because some stupid old,crazy,hermit guy had hallucinations about the future? How stupid was a whole civilisation to believe in that? Did her brother believe in this too? Probably not, he was much smarter than that, she knew it. Poor Margaret, so young and being dragged into this as well.

By now she was trying to stifle her cries so no on would wake up, but the sobs were already shaking her body. Her tears stained the paper, the stupid,complicated,coded paper. She threw the piece in her hand away, but it didn't go far. She tried to quickly get all of it off, but it kept getting tangled and stuck. She gave out a groan of frustration and decided to just kick it all off her, not caring if it ripped. screw it all!

"Lizzie?" voice rang out. It startled her so much she jumped. She tried to look around for the voice's owner, but her tears blurred her sight. Soon there was a hand on her shoulder-no, a paw, since it had no thumb.

She turned her head up and found Ripred in front of her. Both of his hands were on her shoulders now,firm and warm; his tail was swishing low to the ground. She stared up into his black eyes, still shaking from her sobs. Any other time she would have been scared of a giant rat touching her. Screaming by now by the mere sight, yet... She saw more than black in his eyes; what was it? She had seen these kind of eyes before.

She could make out worry,caring,sadness and... Protectiveness? Now she recognized these eyes, they were the eyes of a father, who cared deeply for their child. It felt comforting, since her own father was sick in the hospital, but Ripred did this expression so well it felt like she WAS HIS child.

"Ripred...I...I..C-Ca-" she could hardly breath, let alone talk. Fresh tears burned down her cheeks and she fell in his arms. She shoved her face into his grey, furry chest and clung to him like her life depended on it; as if there was a flood and he was carrying her too safety. In this case it would be flood of papers.

After a quick, awkward moment of his arms hanging where her shoulders were before the surprise hug, he finally hugged her back. His arms were around her shoulders, pushing her deeper against him, his tail wrapped around her slim waist and his head beside her own.

Her sobs calmed down to sniffle and whimpers as one of Ripred's hands rubbed her back. His body emitted so much warmth in the dank room and his fur was quite soft.

"Deep breaths." He whispered, sending a wave of warmth trough her body. He kept whispering soft words to calm her and it worked. Soon they had changed positions so he was laying comfortably on the floor and she was warm in the crook his body made. He was wrapped around her, almost like a ball.

" Lets do some math problems." He then put a paw through her curly,blond hair. It was a careful, smooth movement and he was able not to catch any of the tangles her curly hair made.

They did multiple problems, mostly geometry , and she wondered where he had learned this all; he even taught her some new things and helped her understand those she had trouble with.

"Now, then." Ripred stopped giving her problems once she was soothed enough. She opened her eyes, and sniffled.

"Whats the matter?"

"S'upid code, t-t-to... stupid..." she mumbled, her breaths still shaky with sobs.

"stupid?" He questioned her.

Yes, it was stupid! No, it was more, it was...was...

"Complicated." She rubbed her eyes before a new batch of tears could burn their way down her cheeks. He grunted in agreement and moved his tail to part her fallen bangs. She giggled a bit and he chuckled.

"M-May I ask you a q-question?" She mustered as much courage she could to ask.

"Go ahead, but then we go to sleep, its late." He rested his head on his paws.

She stared into his black eyes, trying to find a good way to put her question. Perhaps it was too personal, and he didn't want to answer, then it would be awkward. But, it never hurt to try, did it?

"Did you ever have a family?" She could barely hear her own voice in the quiet room. But it seemed to echo off the walls and make some of the sleeping occupants stir.

"yes, I did. Why do you ask?" He said as if it was nothing. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"W-Well... Y-You seemed s-so...Y-Y-our eyes, they...they.." she stuttered for an explanation. How was she to explain that he had this, fatherly aura to him. That he reminded her of her father.

"I had a mate... Three pups and a far less complicated life." He said.

Shock took over her body, stiffening and awkwarding the moment. He had pups? Ripred, the rat who seemed so feared by everyone-even her brother at times- who had a menacing scar over his muzzle, had a mate and pups? Was once a father?

"One pup, Silksharp, was a lot like you. She had spiky fur, almost sharp, but it was very soft, like silk. We rats are named after a month or so after birth, after whatever attributes we show."

One of his pups was like her? How? Ripred must have read her awe-filled face and answered her.

"She was smart, very bright. She loved to read whatever she could. But she was weak, and couldn't play rough with her siblings, so she would stay near me and ask so many questions." He chuckled at the memory, his eyes glossy as he remembered. Lizzie smiled, laying her head on his soft fur. The warmth was so soothing, but her sadness still lingered as soft sobs and sniffle... Wait,'was'?

"What happened to them?" She looked at him in confusion. He caught her eyes, and they held it for awhile, until he turned away. Was that a tear?

"They're dead. Died years ago. You woul-"

"No, please tell me. I want to know, I won't cry anymore." She quickly wiped her remaining tears away and took a deep breath to calm her sobs. "And Ill go to sleep after." She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his fur once more.

He gave a sighed and closed his eyes.

"There use to be a beautiful place that the humans had given us Gnawers as a peace treaty. It was a garden, The Garden Of Herespides, and it bore grass and trees that grew the most Delicious fruit. I was busy with other matters, and they had gone to the garden. I was begged to go with them, to relax, but I had to go meet up with a companion of mine."

"Silksharp begged the most, she didn't want to be alone, her siblings would play rough and her mother was not as entertaining as I. But I still didn't go, I promised to go later and meet them there... But then the humans broke the dike, which kept the water from flooding the garden. They had gone back on their peace treaty."

"By the time I got there...I was too late... Rats can't swim... And everyone drowned...I was left alone, up high near a ledge that overlooked the garden..." he stopped there. His voice had changed so such a sullen tone, she almost did cry.

"What did you do after that?" She sniffled back her tears.

"I cried,I mourned, I got this stupid scar from the human responsible for the flood, and felt like dying... I almost was going to commit suicide, but then it came to me... I couldn't let this be nothing. Not allow them to die in vain. And I remembered those prophecies Sandwich had made; they would bring peace to everyone. So I set out to make sure I could help in someway, and I am. Thats, that, pup." He sniffled back his sadness.

She nodded and yawned. Everything was quiet, even her brother's soft snores, and she was falling in and out if sleep. But her mind kept thinking. It was sad, fate was cruel, everything was so... so... COMPLICATED. Soon tears burned her again and her sobs racked her small body.

She was crying again and her lungs were not supply air like they was suppose to.

"Easy,Easy! . Its fine, Lizzie, everything is fine." Ripred rubbed her back again with his paw, and his tail wrapped around her torso. She clung to him and buried herself into his fur.

"No, no its not! Nothing is!" She mouthed, no words coming out. How could he be fine? How could she be fine?

"It will all be fine, you just have to stay positive and do your best. Everything will become better, my pup, just have hope." He soothed her. He gave her some more math problems and soft whispers; her tears subsided and her sobs were once again small. She sniffed back more tears and relaxed.

"Do you want to do more math problems?" Ripred asked softly, staring into her eyes.

"No." she stated. She wanted no more problems, no more codes, no more war and no more panic attacks. It was so much and so very complicated.

But she had hope. Everyone had hope ,Luxa, her mother, her father, Ripred and everyone else had hope. And that was keeping them all fine.


End file.
